I don't know who I am or who I was. I know it less than ever. I do and I don't identify myself with myself. Everything is totally contradictory, but maybe I have remained exactly as I was as a small boy of twelve.
Alberto GiacomettiRead
I paint and sculpt to get a grip on reality... to protect myself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art is a means for the artist to understand and cope with reality.
In this quote, Alberto Giacometti expresses the idea that his artistic creations serve a dual purpose: they are not only a form of expression but also a tool for him to navigate and comprehend the complexities of reality. By painting and sculpting, he seeks to establish a connection with the world around him, using art as a protective shield against the challenges he faces.
Themes
ArtRealityExpressionProtectionUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
During an art exhibition, this quote could be shared to highlight the purpose behind artistic creation.
More from Alberto Giacometti
All quotes βArtistically I am still a child with a whole life ahead of me to discover and create. I want something, but I won't know what it is until I succeed in doing it.
Alberto GiacomettiRead
In the past I have never thought about loneliness when working, and I don't think about it now. Yet there must be a reason for the fact that so many people talk about it.
Alberto GiacomettiRead
When I see a head from a great distance, it ceases to be a sphere and becomes an extreme confusion falling down into the abyss.
Alberto GiacomettiRead
If only someone else could paint what I see, it would be marvellous, because then I wouldnt have to paint at all.
Alberto GiacomettiRead
All I can do will only ever be a faint image of what I see and my success will always be less than my failure or perhaps equal to the failure.
Alberto GiacomettiRead
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All intervening steps, scribbles, sketches, drawings, failed work models, studies thoughts, conversations, are of interest. Those that show the thought process of the artist are sometimes more interesting than the final product
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